Thousands of Greenlanders marched in the capital Nuuk on Saturday to oppose US President Donald Trump’s declared interest in taking over the Arctic island.
They held signs of protest, waved their national flag and chanted “Greenland is not for sale” in support of their own self-governance in the face of increasing threats of a US takeover.
Just as they finished their trek from the small downtown of Greenland’s capital city Nuuk to the US Consulate, the news of Trump announcing he will charge a 10% tariff on goods from eight European countries over their opposition to US control of Greenland broke.
Trump said all products from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom would be subject to an additional 10% tariff, which could be increased to 25% by June, to be paid until “a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland.”
“I thought this day could not get any worse, but it just did. I’m actually quite more shocked than I was before, because I heard yesterday that he was trying to do it, but now when he’s saying the specific countries, just shows he has no remorse for any kind of human being now,” said Malik Dollerup-Scheibel, a protester.
Trump has long said he thinks Washington should own the strategically located and mineral-rich island, a self-governing territory of Denmark. Trump intensified his calls a day after the military operation to oust former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Dollerup-Scheibel, a 21-year-old Greenlander, and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen were among what others described as the island’s biggest protest, drawing nearly a quarter of Nuuk’s population.
Others held rallies and solidarity marches across the Danish realm, including in Copenhagen, as well as in the capital of the Inuit-governed territory of Nunavut in Canada’s far north.
“This is important for the whole world,” said Elise Riechie, a Danish protester holding Danish and Greenlandic flags in Copenhagen. “There are many small countries. None of them are for sale.”
In Nuuk, Greenlanders of all ages listened to traditional songs as they marched to the consulate.
Marie Pedersen, a 47-year-old Greenlander, said it was important to bring her children to the rally “to show them that they’re allowed to speak up.”
“We want to keep our own country and our own culture, and our family safe,” she said.
Her 9-year-old daughter, Alaska, crafted her own “Greenland is not for sale” sign. The girl said her teachers have addressed the controversy and taught them about NATO at school.
“They tell us how to stand up if you’re being bullied by another country or something,” she said.
Meanwhile, Tom Olsen, a police officer in Nuuk, said Saturday’s protest was the biggest he’s ever seen there.
“I hope it can show him that we stand together in Europe,” he said. “We are not going down without a fight.”
Tillie Martinussen, a former member of Greenland’s parliament, said she hopes the Trump administration will “abandon this crazy idea.”
“They started out as sort of touting themselves as our friends and allies, that they wanted to make Greenland better for us than the Danes would,” she said as others chanted in the background. “And now they’re just plain out threatening us.”
Trump first expressed interest in taking over the territory in his first term as president. Those calls were amplified following his return to the Oval Office in January last year.
They gained significant weight after the US’ military intervention in Venezuela on 3 January, toppling and capturing President Nicolas Maduro, in a move many countries slammed as a violation of international law.
Trump has remained firm on his stance despite European pressure to abandon the ambition. The US president said the takeover is essential for national security purposes, stressing that the acquisition will happen whether Europe “likes it or not”.